


Caffeine High

by Ninjateddies



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Aaron owns the shop, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Derek, Boys Kissing, Dirty Talk, M/M, Student Spencer, WIP, better than the summary is i swear, cause why not, it's not good dirty talk but it's something, maybe more tags to come later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-08-30 17:04:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8541469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninjateddies/pseuds/Ninjateddies
Summary: Derek Morgan was just another barista at just another coffee shop that served the same drinks everywhere else did. He lived a simple life; went to work in the mornings for the early shift, hit the gym in the afternoon, and was always back in his apartment by seven o'clock every night. It wasn't that he didn't want to go out, he just never had a reason to. Never met the right person to go out with. But everything changed the day Spencer Reid walked through that cafe door and completely flipped his world on its head.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Hi there,” Derek greeted him, pulling out his most charming and flirtatious smile. “What can I get you pretty boy?”The other man flushed, turning his face beet red. Shyly, he looked up at Derek through his lashes. “Um, can I get a large double shot espresso with six sugars, a large hazelnut latte with six sugars, and a large mint mocha with 4 sugars?” He brushed a piece of hair back behind his ear; clearly a nervous habit. Derek found it adorable.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first try at a fic that has more than one chapter in it, so you're going to have to bear with me while I get my bearings and figure everything out.
> 
> Just a warning, the rating may change in alter chapters.
> 
> Dedicated to Macy and Annelise, my beta readers. Love you ladies :)
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated!

“Hey there Baby Girl,” Derek says, walking into the small cafe he works at. He pulled his sunglasses off, taking in the familiar sights and smells of his workplace. 

It was a small little place, a well-kept secret by the locals in the area. Bench seats covered the walls, and all remaining seating was comprised of comfortable armchairs, perfect for curling up in with a good book. The tables were a deep brown, with the wood grain prominent in all pieces. Trendy colourful art hung on the walls; pieces made by JJ, their resident art major. The walls were a pale green with a swirling pattern in white twisting its way around the store.

“Well hello to you too, my chocolate god, and may I say you look particularly edible this morning,” Garcia flirted, leering companionably at him from the other side of the counter. Derek laughed, swinging off his leather jacket and joining her at the register.

“Not as delicious as you sweetness,” he teased back, hanging up his jacket and stringing an apron around his waist. The off-white cloth contrasted with his all black ensemble; a uniform requirement for the shop.

“Aw, now I know you’re just flattering me to get your hands on this bad boy,” Garcia replied lightly, pulling a slice of coffee cake out of the display rack. As the store’s very own baker and culinary genius, Garcia worked ungodly hours to ensure that the store never run out of its tasty treats, and by God could that woman bake. Every morning, she treated Derek to a slice of whatever she had made that morning; a little compensation and apology all wrapped up in one for dragging himself out of bed this early to work the morning shift with her.

“Oh mama, you know me so well,” Derek retorted, smirking as he reached out to grab the cake. “Now hit me up with that little slice of heaven on a plate.” Garcia laughed lightly in response, handing the cake over with no resistance. Derek shoved it into his mouth, moaning at the taste. “I swear woman, one of these days, I’m gonna end up weighing 300 pounds due to your damn cooking.”

“Please, you love it,” she said, hitting him on the bicep in retaliation. “And besides, you work out more than anyone I’ve ever met. If you come in weighing even 3 pounds more, I’ll know that the end is nigh!” She threw her hands up dramatically at the end of her sentence, over dramatising her words. Derek would have bantered back, kept their repertoire going, but just then the tiny bell over the door rang out through the shop, announcing the presence of a customer. Derek swallowed his mouthful, brushed the crumbs off his apron, and turned around to see a gorgeous man walk up to the counter.

He was tall; taller than Derek, and he wasn’t anything to sniff at in terms of the height department. Long wavy hair topped an pale, angular face, with cheekbones that could cut through diamonds. Shy hazel eyes peered out at him, with an innocence that sent a sliver of heat down Derek’s spine. They seemed to look right through him; seemed to take one look at him and know everything about him. He was dressed in a black and blue striped woolen cardigan and a grey button down shirt, complete with a dark green tie and slacks. 

He looked downright beautiful, and Derek always liked his men pretty.

“Hi there,” Derek greeted him, pulling out his most charming and flirtatious smile. “What can I get you pretty boy?”

The other man flushed, turning his face beet red. Shyly, he looked up at Derek through his lashes. “Um, can I get a large double shot espresso with six sugars, a large hazelnut latte with six sugars, and a large mint mocha with 4 sugars?” He brushed a piece of hair back behind his ear; clearly a nervous habit. Derek found it adorable.

“Sure thing,” he replied, plugging everything into the computerised register. “You in charge of the coffee run or something?” he asked, peering up cheekily at the man.

“Uh, no,” the other man replied, cheeks turning bright red again. “No, it’s uh, it’s just for me.”

Derek stared at him in astonishment. “You mean this overload of caffeine I’m about to give you is just for you? No one else?” he asked incredulously, needing to confirm what the other man had said.

“Yeah,” he replied, glancing down at the floor. “I’ve got a big research paper due in a few days and I haven’t even started it, so I’m going to need the boost.” Derek laughed lightly, remembering his college days and the amount of pure, unadulterated stress and levels of procrastination research papers brought about.

“Alright, then that’ll be $12.34,” he told him, holding out his hand for the money. Their fingers brushed as he handed the notes over, and Derek wore that he felt tingles where their fingers met. “And I’ll need a name for the order.”

“Spencer,” the other man replied, smiling a little at Derek. “My name’s Spencer.”

“Nice to meet you Spencer,” Derek said, turning around to check on Penelope’s progression with the drinks. “My name’s Derek.”

“I know,” Spencer retorted, raising one elegant long finger to point at his name badge. “I saw it before.” Derek chuckled, eyes crinkling up as he considers the man before him. Penelope smirked at him from her position at the espresso machine, knowing exactly what was going through his mind. That woman knew him so well, it was a little scary sometimes. She could practically read his mind.

“Here you go,” Derek said when the drinks were done, turning back to Spencer to hand over the tray with the overly caffeinated and sweetened drinks. “Three coffee-filled, sugary-sweet drinks to fuel your study session.” Spencer laughed, accepting the drinks. He was turning to leave when Derek called out to him again.

“Hey,” he called, trying to stop the taller man. “Wait a second.”

Spencer turned around again, expression quizzical. “What?” he asked.

“How about a phone number to go with the name?” Derek questioned, flirtatious smile returning to his face. “It’d be a shame to never see a face like yours again pretty boy.” And there was that delicious flush that overtook Spencer’s cheeks, a sight Derek was quickly coming to appreciate.

“Um, I, uh, I dunno,” Spencer responded, hands fidgeting nervously around the coffee tray. “How do I know you’re not a serial killer or something?”

“Do I look like a serial killer to you?” Derek asked sarcastically, holding his arms out for inspection.

“Actually, serial killers can be anyone, from all different races, ages, genders, and sexual preferences. There’s no one way to determine whether someone you met is a serial killer. In fact, most of them are extremely proficient at hiding that fact. Adding the fact that we are strangers and approximately 15% of victims chosen by serial killers are chosen randomly and were people the killer didn’t know, there’s actually a reasonably high chance that you’re a serial killer or at least a criminal of some sort,” Spencer fired out, rattling of the facts and statistics without a second thought.

Derek stood there in awe, admiring the brilliant brain that the man had. Spencer flushed again, growing visibly more nervous after his outburst.

“Sorry, I don’t know what-” he began, only to be cut of by Penelope’s high-pitched squeal.

“That. Was. Amazing!” she cried, startling both of them. Derek had actually temporarily forgotten she was there. “How did you know all that? Are you like, a psychology major or something?”

“Uh, no,” Spencer replied, clearly uncomfortable about the attention. “I’m in the last year of my PhD in Engineering right now.”

“Well, then how did you know all that stuff about serial killers?” she asked, confused.

Spencer flushed again. “I, uh, I have an eidetic memory,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “So I remember everything I read. I was on Wikipedia one morning and, I’m not sure quite how it happened, but suddenly I was on a page about serial killers at 2am.”

“That’s so cool,” Derek replied, astounded at his pretty boy’s mind. “You must be like, a genius or something then right? Since you remember everything.”

“Something like that,” Spencer mumbled in response, running his hand through his long hair. “Listen, this has been fun, but I really do have to go work on my paper.” With a regretful expression, he started backing up towards the doors. Before Derek knew what was happening, Spencer had left.

And Derek hadn’t gotten his number.

“So Derek,” Garcia asked, sidling up to his side, a playful smirk on her face. “Spencer was quite something huh? Must be for you to be so sweet on him after just meeting him.”

“He’s something alright,” Derek murmured, still staring at the door. “Do you think he’ll come back tomorrow?”

“Trust me, Chocolate Thunder, with the way that boy was looking at you, he’ll be back before long,” she replied, patting his bicep reassuringly. 

“You think so?” Derek asked hopefully.

Penelope just gave him a knowing smile and turned back around to her pastries. “You’ll see.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Spencer meet again, and we meet Hotch.

When Derek went in for work the next day, nothing seemed outwardly different about him. He had hit the gym the night before, trying to work off some of his energy, so his biceps looked slightly bigger, accentuating the lion tattooed on his arm. He appeared as calm as ever. From the perspective of an outsider, Derek looked as calm and collected as ever.

Inside, he was a rolling mess of nerves and excitement. If Penelope was right, there was the potential to see Spencer today, and damn if that thought didn’t excite him like a twelve-year-old with his first crush. He was bouncing off the walls, his internal energy levels off the charts. Something about this boy just made him want to come back for more.

“Hey Garcia,” he called out, walking into the store, tiny bell tinkling overhead. When response came from the bubbly baker, he frowned. Garcia always responded when he called, even if it was just to tell him to wait until the pastries were out of the oven to talk to her. “Penelope?” he asked confusedly, shrugging off his leather jacket. “You in here?”

“Garcia called in sick this morning,” Hotch replied, coming out of the back kitchen carrying a tray of cookies. 

Aaron Hotchner was a stern looking man; all dark, brooding features and angular face. He had dark brown eyes, and short black hair that had been in the same style for the three years Derek had known him; short on the sides, long on the top, but short enough to keep it out of his face. He was a no-nonsense, real business type of guy who owned the cafe. He was the one who originally hired Derek, and even though he didn’t come out of his office much, he was always willing to cover anyone’s shift if they couldn’t make it. Hotch couldn’t work all the time due to the amount of paperwork he had to do everyday to keep the business afloat, but everyone who worked there knew that Aaron always had their backs, no matter what.

“Oh,” Derek said, hanging up his jacket behind the counter. “She ok? She didn’t say anything about feeling sick yesterday.” Concern skyrocketed within him. It better just be a cold or Derek will kick her ass for not telling him she didn’t feel good. No more free Chinese food for her on movie night.

“Yeah, she said she’s fine,” Hotch retorted, sliding the cookies off the tray onto a display tray. “She said she woke up this morning with a headache and a sore throat. If it was any other job, she would have still come in, but since she works with food, she said she thought it would be best for her to take a day off.” 

“That’s smart,” Derek replied, placing a glass dome on top of the tray and putting a price card in front of it. “She better not have felt like this yesterday and not told me. The girl will get the tongue-lashing of her life, I swear to god.”

Hotch chuckled, shaking his head at the antics of his employees. “Well, you know Garcia,” he said, dusting the flour off of his hands. “Always eager to please.”

Just then, the bell rang above the door. A customer had arrived. Derek let Hotch take the register while he manned the espresso machine; he knew that the other man liked to actually talk to his customers sometimes.

“Hi, what can I get you?” he heard Hotch ask. Derek was facing the machine, but snapped his head around when he heard a familiar voice sound out.

“Hi, um, I’ll get a large caramel macchiato with extra cream and sugar and a large vanilla coffee extra extra please,” Spencer said, fidgeting with the money in his hands. Derek leant against the machine, a slow smirk growing across his face. He kept his eyes on Spencer’s face, waiting for the other man to notice him. Spencer glanced up quickly, eyes flitting around the room before landing on Derek and widening slightly. “Derek,” he said, blinking quickly.

“Hey Spencer,” Derek replied, feeling his heart ache a little when Spencer appeared genuinely surprised that Derek remembered his name. “What’s going on man?” Derek turned back around to the machine, but kept glancing up at Spencer whenever he could, inviting conversation.

“I, uh, not much,” Spencer replied, nervously twisting his hands together. “Just college stuff I guess.”

“Do you two know each other?” Hotch asked, looking between the two of them with a raised brow. 

“Yeah,” Derek replied quickly, “we met yesterday. Spencer, this is Aaron Hotchner, the owner of the store. Hotch, Spencer…” Derek broke off, looking contemplatively at Spencer. “You know, I never did get your last name yesterday.”

“Uh, it’s Reid,” the tall man replied. “Spencer Reid.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Spencer Reid,” Aaron said, smiling a little at the awkward boy.

“Nice to meet you too Aaron,” Spencer replied, raising a hand in a quick imitation of a wave.

“Please, call me Hotch,” the dark haired man chuckled. “Everyone does.” An awkward silence settled over the room after introductions were finished. Hotch cleared his throat, breaking the quiet. “Right, well that’ll be $7.87,” he said, holding his hand out for the money.

“Oh, yup, of course,” Spencer replied, hurriedly handing over the cash and accepting his change.

“So,” Derek started, redirecting Spencer’s attention to him, “you finish that paper yet pretty boy?” Derek felt rather than saw Hotch’s eyebrows raising at the nickname, but couldn’t bring himself to care about what his boss thought just then.

“Nearly,” Spencer replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I have a few more papers to finish, but then I should be done with it. Thank goodness too, it’s the final paper I need to hand in before exams start.”

“Yeah about that,” Derek said, adding the flavouring to the coffees. “I was thinking the other day; if you’re in you last year of a PhD in Engineering, and you’re, what, twenty two?”

“Twenty three,” Spencer corrected him.

“Twenty three,” Derek muttered, shaking his head at how old he felt just then. “And a PhD, including all the undergraduate and graduate work, normally takes like eight years to finish right?” He waited for Spencer’s nod of confirmation before continuing. “Then you must have been like fifteen when you started it. That’s no mean feat pretty boy. You sure you’re not a genius?”

“Um,” Spencer replied, looking like a deer in the headlights. “I have an eidetic memory, and IQ of 187, and I can read 20,000 words per minute. I also have another PhD in Chemistry and a BA in Psychology.”

Hotch and Morgan just stared blankly at him.

“Yeah, I guess I’m a genius,” Spencer added on, rocking nervously back and forth on the balls of his feet with his hands buried in the pockets of the dark grey slacks he chose to wear today.

Derek let out a low whistle, putting the lids on the finished coffees. “Damn Spencer,” he said, handing them over to the man, making sure to brush their fingers together. “Pretty and smart. Must be my lucky day.” He winked at Spencer, causing him to flush that beautiful shade of crimson.

“Um, thanks?” he asked, fingers clutched tight around the coffee cups.

“Anytime pretty boy,” Derek smiled, winking one more time for good measure. “Now, how about that number. I didn’t manage to get it yesterday, what with you spouting off all those statistics and impressing us with you big brain.” His eyes stayed connected with Spencer’s, mentally blocking out Hotch’s presence in the cafe.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Spencer replied, eyes shifting around anxiously, unable to stay connected with Derek’s.

“Why not?” he asked, leaning forward on the counter. “I think it’s a great idea.”

Spencer froze. He looked like he didn’t know what to do in this kind of situation, which was ridiculous. A boy this pretty, everyone must be hitting on, especially on a college campus.

“Um, I, uh, I really have to go,” he stuttered out, whirling around in a flash of brown wool and grey fabric. 

“Wait!” Derek called out to his retreating back. “Spencer!”

But it was too late. The tiny bell had already rung, cheerfully announcing Spencer’s departure. Derek sighed, shaking his head at the ground.

“Well,” Aaron said, standing up from where he was leaning against the display case. “That was interesting.”

“Every time I ask him for his number or flirt with him, he closes up,” Derek tells him, crossing his arms. “I feel like I can’t ask him out for fear of giving him a heart attack!”

“Maybe he’s just inexperienced and shy,” Hothc proposes. “He did say that he started college around fifteen. That doesn’t give you a lot of room for going on dates and being in relationships, especially if you’re a young person in a college full of adults. That’d be statutory rape if they did anything.”

“Yeah, but have you seen him Hotch?” Derek asked, gesturing exasperatedly towards the door Spencer had just exited. “He’s gorgeous! Tell me that someone that good looking would have had at least one boyfriend, especially after he turned eighteen. He would’ve had people hitting on him left right and centre.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t realise they’re hitting on him,” Hotch explained, clearly amused by Morgan’s struggle. “He does seem like the shy type.”

“That’s true,” Derek conceded with a nod. “I just want to help him break out of that shell.”

“Just keep trying,” Hotch said, clapping him on the shoulder before walking back into the kitchen. “I have a feeling he’ll say yes soon,” he called out over his shoulder.

Derek sighed, staring at the door again. Maybe tomorrow his pretty boy would say yes. Maybe tomorrow he could treat him like a real gentleman ought to. Maybe tomorrow he’ll be able to take his pretty boy out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have the next chapter out soon, just trying to finish it up. I'm still not sure how many chapters this story will have or where I'm going with it, so let's just see how this turns out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek goes to a party and has a chance encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ran away from me a little bit...
> 
> This chapter felt weird to me.
> 
> I dunno.
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Loud music pumped through the cramped apartment, the overwhelmingly deafening bass vibrating the air. It pierced Derek’s skull, rattling his teeth and making it impossible to hear himself think. God parties could really suck sometimes.

He stood alone in a corner of the room, a red solo cup full of some sort of alcohol in his hand. Derek wasn’t really sure what it actually was; college parties were always held in cheap apartments and were full of even cheaper liquor. Thank god his college days were behind him. These sort of jam-packed, bass-pounding, headache-inducing parties weren’t exactly his scene anymore, and the pain beginning to pulse at the base of his neck reminded him of that fact. Despite the fact that Derek used to be quite the party animal in his college years, his body was out of practice, and he had matured past the point of wanting to get mindlessly drunk with a bunch of strangers every night.

Derek didn’t even want to be there really. He only came to the party because Emily, one of his colleagues, still had friends going through college and that, apparently, held ragers at nine pm on a Wednesday night, and Emily didn’t want to go alone. She only knew the one person, and had asked Derek to accompany her. Derek, being the gentleman he was, felt obliged to agree.

And that was how he ended up in this abysmally small apartment, made even more confined due to the frankly horrendously large amount of people willing to party on a Wednesday night, wishing that he was anywhere else.

He hadn’t seen Spencer in a few days either, which did nothing to improve his mood. Derek didn’t know what was it about that boy that made him so appealing to him, but whatever it was, it was working. He couldn’t get Spencer out of his head. Even when he was surrounded by drunk college students grinding up against each other in an area so loud he couldn’t even hear what was going on around him, his brain found a way to bring it all back to the boy in the coffee shop.

God Derek had it bad.

“Hey Derek!” Emily called out, appearing suddenly at his side. “Why aren’t you dancing man? This song is great!” 

The song was not great. It was some attempted techno remix of one of those pop songs that people were so fond of these days, something that Emily hated. Her words were slightly slurred, and that combined with her current taste in music and the scent of alcohol on her breath showed Derek that she was more than just a little wasted.

“I dunno Emily, I’m just not feeling to tonight,” Derek told her, leaning back against the wall behind him.

“What?!” she exclaimed, eyes going comically wide. “Derek Morgan, you are gonna come dance with me right now, and I swear, you’re gonna enjoy it or else I’ll…” she trailed off, squinting at him with dazed eyes. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but it’ll be nothing good.” She grabbed his arm, dragging him into that mass of writhing bodies in the middle of the room.

Derek just laughed at her drunken antics, allowing himself to be tugged along behind her. They ducked and weaved their way through the dancers until they reached the middle of the mass of writhing bodies. Emily threw her arms around his shoulders haphazardly and started to sway to the music, forcing him to move along with her.

It was alright. Derek had always liked dancing; hell, that and giving Penelope a wingman was the number one reason he went to clubs and parties. It was a time when Derek felt like he could just move and be himself and no one would be looking on with judgemental eyes or criticizing his skills. 

It was the one place other than the gym he could really let loose and allow himself to just feel.

They danced for a few of the atrocious techno-remixes, letting the obnoxiously loud beat wash over them and carry them out into a sea of dance. It was refreshing and relaxing; something Morgan desperately needed after the last few days.

He just couldn’t get Reid out of his head. There was something about that man just kept drawing Derek in and wouldn’t let him go. He didn’t even know why he was so intrigued by the other man; he had only known him for a few days and already Reid occupied a permanent space in his mind.

Shaking his head, Derek tried to keep his mind empty. He didn’t want to be thinking about his hopeless crush when he was surrounded by booze and dancing. 

Everything was just moving so fast. Derek’s thoughts were whizzing around, causing his head to ache with all the different feelings in his brain.

“Hey, do you want to get another drink?” Derek yelled in Emily’s ear, desperately trying to be heard over the thumping bass. God, it was loud enough to make his head spin.

“Yeah!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, practically dragging him out of the mass of people and over to the makeshift bar. It was really just a trundle table straining under the weight of the assorted bottle of liquor littered over the top of it, but hey, as long as people could get their booze, who cares?

Derek quickly poured himself a more than generous cup of scotch and took a swig, savouring the slight burn as it went down his throat. It was crappy scotch and it wasn’t the best tasting alcohol he’d ever had, but right now Derek was drinking to distract himself and didn’t give a damn as long as it meant he wasn’t sober anymore.

He turned around to face the room again, supporting a swaying Emily with an arm around her waist as she threw back another shot of vodka. She shook her head, gasping as the cheap liquor no doubt sent that warm burning feeling down her throat. She swayed, staggering a few steps away before crashing back into him. Derek smiled down at his drunken co-worker; no one was funnier than Emily when she was drunk.

“Hey, isn’t that the guy that Penelope was telling me about?” Emily slurred out, pointing shakily at someone sitting on a couch on the other side of the room. “The one you’re so sweet on?”

“Nah Prentiss,” Derek chuckled, pulling her against him when she swayed dangerously again. “You must be mistaken. There’s no way.”

“But I’m pretty sure it’s him!” she declared, squinting at the mystery man. “He looks exactly like she said. Tall, skinny as hell, nervous. He’s cute too; looks like your type.”

Derek looked at where she was gesturing, wanting to see the lookalike for himself before shooting down Emily’s theory. He was just opening his mouth when he saw him.

Spencer goddamn Reid was sitting on that couch. 

In that apartment. 

At this party.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Derek murmured exasperatedly, not believing his eyes. “You have got to be fucking kidding me right now.”

“Wait,” Emily said, looking at him in disbelief. “It’s actually him? No way! That’s so crazy!”

“You’re telling me,” Derek replied, sighing as he watched the object of his affections fidget in his sweater vest. Seriously, who wore a sweater vest to a party? Spencer may look naive, but there’s no way that he was actually that socially clueless. 

“We should go say hi!” Emily cried out, already stumbling over to where Reid was sitting. 

“Wait, Emily, no!” Derek frantically grabbed at her hand, halting her progress. “We shouldn’t.”

“Why not?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I wanna go meet the person that has you so distracted.” And before he could stop her, she slipped out of his grip and somehow managed to start walking in a straight line towards Spencer.

“Damnit Emily,” Derek growled, starting after her. “I want to get him out of my head, not let him further in.” He grumbled under his breath the whole way over, weaving in between drunken college frat boys and grinding trains and whatever the hell else it was that these kids did.

“Hey!” He could faintly hear Emily yelling at Spencer to introduce herself. Derek faintly made out Emily flopping onto the couch next to the other man, drink teetering precariously in her hand as she looked like she introduced herself.

He could see how confused Spencer was getting; a random woman walking up to you and introducing herself as a friend of some man you barely know would do that to a guy. Emily being drunk as hell, and an overly affectionate drunk at that, wouldn’t be helping the situation.

“Spencer!” he called out, finally making his way through the crowd to him. He had no idea how Emily got there so quick, especially with how out of it she was.

“Derek?” Spencer replied, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

“Derek!” Emily cried, splashing her drink everywhere as she flung her arms out enthusiastically. “We were just talking about you!”

“No we weren’t,” Spencer responded. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“Emily, I think it’s time for us to leave,” Derek sighed, shaking his head at the drunken woman.

“Noooo,” she whined, curling into Spencer at him and clutching at him. Spencer shifted uncomfortably, clearly not knowing what to do with the woman. “I wanna stay with Spencer. He’s fun. You’re boring.”

“Emily I swear to God, you are gonna get your ass off this couch and wait for me by the door right now or I’m gonna call your mother.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed, digging her nails into Spencer’s arm if his flinch of pain was any indicator.

“Try me,” he replied venomously, jaw tightening in response. SIlence ensued, a standoff between two epitomes of stubbornness, neither one willing to budge. Spencer’s eyes flitted between them anxiously, probably trying to figure out a way to diffuse the tension-filled situation. “Emily,” Derek growled, eyes flashing in annoyance.

“Ugh, fine!” she huffed out, throwing her hands up in frustration. “See ya Spencer. You’ll probably be around the store once you and Derek start dating.” Emily landed a smacking kiss on his cheek before jumping up and sauntering off towards the door. She paused by Derek. “You’re welcome,” she whispered in his ear, winking at him on her walk past him.

Derek and Spencer looked awkwardly at each other, neither one wanting to touch what Emily had said.

“I’m sorry about her,” Derek said, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. “She gets weirdly touchy-feely when she’s drunk.”

“It’s fine.” Spencer smiled shakily, clearly still uncomfortable from the situation. The pounding bassline and noise of the crowd was the only sound between them, neither man willing to break the faux silence.

“So…” Derek started, wanting to get rid of the awkwardness of the situation, “what brought you to this party?”

“I do have friends,” Spencer replied, smiling lightly. “One of them, Ethan, decided it was ‘high time I got out and met some people’.” He put on a slow drawl of an accent in the end of his sentence. Derek thought it was meant to be from somewhere in New Orleans. “That’s him over there, with his tongue down some girl’s throat.” Spencer pointed to what Derek had assumed to be a couple on the dance floor lost in passion. Clearly, Ethan had found better things to do than watch over his friend. “What about you?” Spencer asked, patting the seat of the couch. “Why are you here?”

“What, you’re not happy to see me?” Derek teased, easing himself down beside the other man. Spencer flushed. “Well I’m really just here for Emily. She has friends who are still in college and one of them invited her, but she didn’t want to go alone, so here I am.” Spencer smiled at him and took Derek’s breath away. They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one willing to break their eye contact. Spencer’s smile slowly faded, leaving him looking confused and lost.

“Is… Is what Emily said true?” he finally blurted out, shattering the mood between them.

“Which part?” Derek replied.

“The part about you wanting to date me,” Spencer answered, shyly averting his eyes. His hands started fidgeting with his sleeves, tugging them every which way. Derek placed his large hands over Spencer’s, halting his nervous movements.

“Yeah,” he said boldly, looking back into Spencer’s hazel eyes. “It is. I’d really like to take you out Spencer Reid.”

Spencer chuckled slightly and broke their connection again. “Really?” he questioned doubtfully.

“Of course baby,” Derek replied. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well look at me,” Spencer said, gesturing to his body. “I’m a twig, and I have bad hair, and I’m awkward and nerdy and lame. My idea of a good time is staying home to read Tolstoy in the original Russian. I’ve never had a relationship; never even thought about it. I’m not good at communication and I don’t know anything about being with someone.”

“You say those like they’re bad things,” Derek murmured moving closer to the tall man, “but all I’m hearing are more reasons to like you. You’re unique Spencer; you’re an individual. You’re not like anyone I’ve met before. And I’d really like to get to know you more if you’ll give me the chance.” He gently tilted Spencer’s face towards him. “So what do you say pretty boy?” he asked lightly, eyes searching the other man’s, hoping to see a reflection of what he felt for him. “You gonna give me a chance?”

“Yes,” Spencer whispered, eyelids fluttering. Derek beamed at him and leant in, closing his eyes, but was stopped by a soft hand on his mouth. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that just yet,” Spencer murmured, bashfully looking away.

“That’s ok baby,” Derek replied. “It’s all ok.” They sat there for a few moments; two men on the verge of something amazing. Everything else seemed to fade away.

That is, until Derek’s phone buzzed.

“Oh shit,” he swore, checking the text. “I forgot about Emily.”

_‘unless ur gwetting som right now, u better com get me bfro i take anoyher shot,’ _read the text. Emily always was appalling at spelling when she was drunk.__

“I gotta go,” Derek said to Spencer regretfully. “Give me your phone.”

Spencer handed it over with a perplexed tilt of his head. “Why do you need my phone?”

“To put my number in it of course,” Derek responded, typing in the digits in a new contact. He snapped a quick selfie for the picture, then sent himself a text. “I’ll text you about our date tomorrow. Friday night work for you?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Spencer said, cheeks a light pink again.

“Cool.” Derek grinned at the other man before leaning in a placing a gentle kiss on Spencer’s cheek, right next to Emily’s. “See you on Friday pretty boy.” And with that, he stood up and walked away, leaving a dazed Spencer Reid behind him.

“Finally!” Emily cried out when he reached her position at the door. “I was just about to get more drunk.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible Em,” Derek chuckled, shaking his head at her. “Come on, let’s go.”

“So,” she said as she staggered down the stairs, “did you ask him out?”

Derek smiled at the memory. “Yes,” he replied, catching her right before she fell and cracked her skull on the concrete steps. “Yes I did. We’re going out on Friday.”

“Yeah Derek!” she jeered good-naturedly. “I knew you had in it you.” 

After Derek had set Emily up on his couch (she had refused to leave him alone after his “great victory” and he was too tired to fight her on it), he laid in his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

_‘I have a date with Spencer Reid,’ _he thought to himself, and a joyous smile spread across his face.__

Maybe that party wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably going to write the next morning, some texts between Derek and Spencer, and the date next, but it might be a week or more until I upload it. I don't really have a schedule. I haven't got anything planned for it, so ideas are welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily has regrets, and it's finally date night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long but I hit some serious writer's block trying to write this. I also was leaving my exchange program in America and coming back home to Australia, so it was a really stressful time for me. But something great happened to me yesterday and I just got inspired I guess! Comments are very much appreciated; some days they're the only thing that keeps me going haha.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“I feel like death,” Emily groaned the next morning, clutching her head in the bright light of Derek’s kitchen. “Scratch that, I feel worse than death. I feel like death ate some spicy burritos, drank too much tequila, and then threw up those burritos when he was trying to stumble home.” She let her head drop gently onto the counter. “I’m that burrito puke, Derek. That nasty mess on the side of the sidewalk; that’s me right now.”

“Calm down Emily,” Derek chuckled, shaking his head at the hungover woman. “You’re just tired and hungover. This will pass.” He turned back to the greasy bacon and eggs he was making her; his be-all, end-all cure for hangovers. During his college days, he could be seen chowing down on a fat filled bacon and egg sandwich most Monday mornings after a night full of drinking and bad decisions. Even though those days were behind him, it never hurt to hang onto a proven hangover cure.

“Tell me that later,” she grumbled in reply, head still positioned on the counter. “Right now I want some greasy bacon and sympathy, and more Advil if you have it.“

“Prentiss, you can’t have any more Advil, you’ve already had three,” Derek reminded her gently, ignoring the pitiful moan that came in reaction. “It just hasn’t kicked in yet.”

“Shut up,” she muttered, lifting her head briefly to glare at him. Derek just laughed loudly, slightly enjoying her wince of pain as the noise pierced her ears.

As it was, Derek didn’t feel the greatest either but, having drunk considerably less than Emily, he was at least functional enough to take care of the both of them. Thank God for the fact that he had the morning shift off this morning, otherwise Emily would have had to somehow clean herself up, and who knew how long that would have taken. 

She had been a mess last night, all limbs and octopus-like gripping. She had clambered onto him in the taxi, refusing to let go when they arrived at his place to let him inside. Emily had always been an affectionate drunk, so it wasn’t overly surprising to Derek when she insisted on coming up with him. The driver must have thought they were one of those couples, the kind that spend a night out on the town before going home drunk as hell to fuck each other in private. Emily had been all over him, but that was just the way she was when she wasn’t sober, and she would be the same with anyone, no matter who they were.

Somehow, he’d managed to pry her off of him and set her down on the couch long enough for her to pass out peacefully, face smushed half into the cushions, drool coming out of her opened, snoring mouth. Derek had laid a blanket carefully around her before trekking upstairs to think about… well, to think about Spencer.

“Dereeeekkkk,” Emily whined, breaking him out of his thoughts. “I’m hungry.”

Derek laughed again, flipping the cooked bacon out of the pan with a spatula onto a piece of paper towel. Gently, he patted it dry before taking Emily’s plate over to her, munching on a piece as he went. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

“So,” Derek started, “do you remember anything from last night?”

“Not a whole lot,” she replied warily. “Why, what happened?”

“Well, you drank too much tequila, danced with a bunch of people, and I had to stop you from dancing on a table at one point,” he answered, biting off a chunk of bacon as he spoke. “Oh, and you know that guy that Penelope told you about? The hot one at the cafe?”

“Oh, yeah, uh, Spencer or something right?” She paused, bacon dangling in between her fingers as a memory came back to her. “Oh my God, was he there last night?”

Derek nodded, a small smile coming to his face as he remembered the shy man and their conversation. 

“Derek,” Emily said teasingly, a slow smile etching its way across her face. “Did something happen last night between you two?”

Derek rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, a full-blown grin now stretching his lips. “Yeah,” he replies. “I uh, I convinced him to give me his number. I’m taking him out tomorrow night.”

“Look at you,” Emily crowed, momentarily forgetting her headache. “Derek Morgan, hasn’t gone on a date in, what, a year, and you’ve still got game.”

“Got any date suggestions?” he asked, eyebrows raised with a teasing smile on his face. “I mean, I know you’ve been around most popular locations for a long time.”

“Hey!” she cried with a faux-hurt tone, lightly slapping him on the arm. “I just like going out with people and having a good time. Is that a crime?”

“I was kidding,” Derek replied lightly. “Seriously though, got any ideas? I really want to knock his socks off.”

“So you’re serious about him then?” Emily asked, taking another bite of bacon. “You haven’t asked for help with anyone else, and I’ve known you for years.”

“He’s special, Emily,” Derek murmured, staring off into space as he pictured the other man. “I don’t know what it is about it, but there’s just… something.”

“Huh,” she said, quietly munching on the greasy meat in thought. “There’s this restaurant just down the street from the cafe. I think it’s called ‘Enigma’ or something like that. I’ve heard really good things about them. It’s pretty standard stuff, traditional food and stuff like that.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Derek replied, leaning back in his chair lazily. He sighed, already preoccupied with planning the best night possible for Spencer. That man seemed like he’d never been in a relationship before; never had anyone care for him the way that a partner does. He was painfully shy and insecure, and Derek just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and cuddle him until he chased all those thoughts away. 

It was a problem. Derek had never felt that way towards anyone. To be honest, it scared him a little.

Letting out a deep breath, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts until he found Spencer’s name. He debated texting him, unsure of whether or not Spencer would be awake at this hour after the party last night. Pulling himself together quickly, he devised a quick message.

‘Hey pretty boy, it’s Derek. Let me know what time you’re available tomorrow night, I wanna make reservations for a place called ‘Enigma’. Text me back when you get this.’ 

He stared down at the phone, unable to make up his mind about the message. Was it too formal? Was it too direct? Should he keep the location of the date a surprise and not tell Spencer? What if-

“Hey,” Emily said, interrupting his haywire thoughts. “You need to get out of your head. I don’t really remember talking to him, but from what you and Penelope have said, he sounds like a great guy, and one who doesn’t care about what other people do. I’m sure whatever you wrote is perfect for him. You got this.”

Derek took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. She was right. Spencer seemed like the kind of guy who cared more about the emotional aspect of the relationship than the physical wining and dining part. 

Of course, Derek was still going to try and show his pretty boy a good time. That was a given.

Gathering his nerve, and not giving himself anymore time for his thoughts to fester, Derek pressed send.

“Well, all that’s left to do now is wait,” he said, placing down the phone with a clatter onto the countertop. But no sooner than he had started putting another piece of bacon into his mouth, the phone vibrated, rattling enough on the stone countertop to startle both of them.

“Is… is that him?” Emily asked in disbelief, eyes wide as she stared at the phone.

“That was quick,” Derek mumbled, picking the phone up again. He opened up the text and scanned it quickly.

‘Hi Derek, I’m studying until 5pm tomorrow night, so anytime after 5:30pm would work for me. I haven’t heard of Enigma before; is there any certain dress code I should know about?’

Derek beamed joyfully. He had a date tomorrow.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek was sitting down at the nice little table for two when Spencer walked in. He was minding his own business, admiring the decor of the room and the enticing smells wafting from the kitchen, and then Spencer Reid walked in. 

And when Spencer Reid walked in, everything else around him became redundant.

Because Spencer was dressed in a pair of nice dark grey dress pants that showed off his long legs nicely, and Derek was willing to bet that they shaped his ass fantastically. The light blue button down he was wearing was rolled up at the sleeves, revealing his wiry forearms, and was unbutton ever-so-slightly at the top. Derek could just catch a tantalizing view of defined collarbones and all of Spencer’s mouth watering neck was on display for him to see.

“Well, don’t you clean up nice,” Derek said humorously, standing up to pull Spencer’s chair out for him. Spencer blushed lightly, ducking his head as he sat down at the table.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Spencer replied, clearly nervous about the whole situation. Derek could safely guess that this was possibly the first time anyone had ever taken the other man out and treated him like he deserved. Derek grinned at him, retaking his own chair, and sent a wink in his direction. Spencer squeaked nearly inaudibly and picked up the menu in front of him in an attempt to calm down the blush on his cheeks.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they perused the menu, neither one wanting to be the first to break it. Derek glanced up at Spencer to admire his features and their eyes briefly met before Spencer looked away in embarrassment.

“I gotta say, it was a stroke of luck meeting you at the party the other night,” Derek spoke finally, shattering the quiet between them. Spencer looked up again, startled by the sudden noise. “If we hadn’t met there, I might not have been able to have this date with you so soon.”

“Ethan, my friend, says I need to get out more,” the other man replied, chuckling lightly. “I didn’t believe him when he said the party would be amazing, but I guess it turned out for the best.” He peeked up from his menu at Derek with a bashful smile which only grew when he saw Derek beaming back at him.

“I’m just glad you agreed to this,” the dark skinned man smirked. “I get the feeling you don’t do this much.”

“To be honest-”

“Are you ready to order gentlemen?” the waiter interrupted them with a polite smile. Derek nodded in affirmation, silently cursing his timing. Evidently Spencer had agreed as well, as their waiter beamed at them before pulling out “Great, can I start you guys off with some drinks?”

“Yeah, I’ll have a Coke and the steak, medium-rare,” Derek ordered, handing over his menu to the waiter.

“Yep, and is that with a side of salad or fries?” the other man asked, writing down the order.

“Fries thank you.” Really, Derek understood that the man had a job to do but couldn’t he just leave so Derek could get back to Spencer?

“And for you sir?” This guy was starting to piss Derek off a little.

“Um, I’ll have a water and the chicken parm with a side of fries thank you,” Spencer decided, avoiding eye contact with their server as he handed back the menu.

“Great is that everything?” Obviously it was everything. Neither of them had said anything about wanting anything else.

“That’s all thanks,” Derek said through lightly gritted teeth. All he wanted was to talk to Spencer alone again.

“OK, your drinks will be out shortly,”he said with a smile. “My name is Matt, just let me know if there’s anything you need.” And with that he finally left them, allowing their sense of privacy to return.

“So,” Derek started, wanting to pick up where they left off, “you were saying?”

“Um, well, I was just going to say that I’ve never really… done this before,” Spencer replied, avoiding eye contact by fiddling with his napkin. “I’ve never really dated, and I… well, I’m very… _inexperienced _.” A delightful blush came over Spencer’s face at the last word, which he resolutely ignored. “So, I’m sorry, but I probably won’t be able to do too much too soon and I know that that’s probably annoying for you and I’m sorry but I just-”__

__“So here are your drinks,” the waiter with infuriatingly poor timing said as he came back to their table with a tray. “A Coke for you, and a water for you.”_ _

__“Thank you,” Derek said, teeming with annoyance._ _

__“Anything else I can do for you guys?” Matt or whatever his name was replied, seemingly unable to pick up on the tension at the table._ _

__“No thank you, that’s all,” Spencer said quietly._ _

__“OK, well just give me a yell if you need anything,” Matt chirped before walking away with a bounce in his step._ _

__“Spencer,” Derek spoke softly. “I don’t give a damn if you have no experience. All I want is you, and you are perfect exactly the way that you are. All these different aspects of your personality, like your lack of dating experience, all add up to make _you _. You’re the one that I want Spencer, and nothing’s going to change that.”___ _

____Spencer sat there in stunned silence for a few moments, eyes comically wide and blinking with a nonplussed look on his face. Derek took a second the mourn the fact that clearly no one had treated this boy with the affection he deserved his whole life. At least now he had Derek._ _ _ _

____“Besides,” Derek said, signature smirk sliding back onto his face. “If you have no experience, that just means there’s a whole lot for me to teach you baby.” Spencer sputtered, face blooming red again as he averted his eyes from Derek’s stare. Derek chuckled lightly, taking a sip of his drink. “But enough about that. Tell me about you pretty boy.”_ _ _ _

____The question seemed enough to shake Spencer out of his stupor, and he tentatively launched into some of the details about his life. The rest of the evening occurred much in the same fashion, with the two men taking turns to share things about themselves inbetween bites of food. The time seemed to fly by, and before Derek knew it, the meal had come to an end and they were leaving the restaurant._ _ _ _

____“So,” Derek started, “do you need a ride back to your place?”_ _ _ _

____“No it’s fine, I can get a taxi,” Spencer replied, shrugging on a jacket that had been slung over the back of his seat the whole night._ _ _ _

____“Really, I can do it, it’s no big deal,” Derek insisted._ _ _ _

____“Derek, I’ll be fine,” Spencer laughed, flagging down an oncoming taxi. “I’ll text you when I get home if that will make you feel better.”_ _ _ _

____“Thanks pretty boy,” Derek murmured, staring at Spencer’s lips. The other man noticed where Derek’s attention was focused and flushed, but didn’t back away when Derek leaned forward and gently pressed their lips together._ _ _ _

____Spencer’s lips were soft, softer than any Derek had kissed before. Sparks flew between them as their interlocked lips moved together tenderly. Time seemed to stand still as they stood there on the curb, one of Derek’s hands gently holding Spencer’s waist. But all too soon Spencer was pulling back, pulling away from their kiss. He exhaled heavily through his mouth, cheeks gone even redder than before. Derek smiled sweetly at him, and pressed one final kiss to his lips before backing away a few steps and letting Spencer lean against the taxi that had pulled up beside them._ _ _ _

____“That was nice,” Spencer breathed out, fingers going up to touch his kiss swollen lips. They stood there a moment longer, each of them lingering in the atmosphere that had built up between them. “I’ll text you,” Spencer said gently, breaking the tender moment. “I’d like to do this again sometime.”_ _ _ _

____“Which part?” Derek replied, grinning broadly at the taller man._ _ _ _

____Spencer turned red before gaining a glint in his eye that Derek hadn't seen before. He sauntered up to Derek and placed a small kiss on the corner of his lips. “Both,” he whispered into Derek’s ear, before stepping back into the taxi and driving away into the night. Derek walked back to his car, unable and unwilling to stop the smile tugging at the sides of his mouth._ _ _ _

____What a night this had turned out to be._ _ _ _


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get heated in the kitchen

Derek tells Penelope about the whole thing the next day at work. They must have seemed no more than children in a classroom afraid of being caught by the teacher, muffled whispering and laughter and gasps coming from behind the counter their whole shift. When he told her about the kiss, her face lit up and she let loose a squeal so loud, Derek was sure the people in the building next to them could hear her.

“Oh my god, Derek!” she cried, clapping her hands enthusiastically. “I’m so happy for you! This is great!”

“Thanks Garcia,” Derek replied, a wide grin tugging at his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “I have a really good feeling about this guy. He’s just… perfect.”

Penelope laughed lightly, relishing the besotted look on her friend’s face. It had been so long since she’d seen that particular sparkle in Derek’s eye. This Spencer guy seemed to really be good for him. Derek seemed lighter now, he had this sort of glow about him. He laughed easier and more genuinely, and that slight glint of sadness she used to spot in the weary lines of his face were no more.

If he ever hurt Derek, Penelope decided she would erase all evidence of his existence.

“So when are you going to see him again?” she asked, turning back to the slice she was going to place into the display case before she got distracted by Derek’s tale.

“I don’t know,” Derek replied, leaning casually against the case. “We haven’t texted since last night, so I’m not sure.”

“What!” Penelope squawked incredulously. “Derek Morgan, let me tell you a little something.”

“Garcia…” Derek groaned, rolling his eyes slightly. He’d heard enough of her rants about love to know where this was going.

“No Derek, listen to me,” she insisted, taking his hands in hers. “When you meet someone like this boy, someone who makes you light up like a Christmas tree whenever you think of them, you don’t wait for them to text you. You don’t wait for them to call. You don’t sit back and just wait for them. You call first, you text them. You let them know you care because if this Spencer Reid is even half as great as you make him sound, I have a feeling that you two are going to last a while.”

“Uh,” a familiar voice said from the counter, distracting them from their conversation. Derek could feel his skin heating as he looked over and saw the very subject of Garcia’s rant.

Spencer Reid, Derek thought, was a truly delicious shade of red at that moment. He was looking particularly edible that day in a scarlet cardigan, white button down, and a skinny black tie that trailed down Spencer’s chest the way Derek’s hand longed to. His delightful blush had crawled up from under his shirt and across his delicate cheekbones.

Derek quite wanted to place a kiss there.

So he did.

He leant over the counter with a saucy smirk and gently pressed his lips to Spencer’s cheek, relishing the small shiver he felt go through the man.

“Hey there gorgeous,” Derek murmured softly, stroking a thumb against the spot he kissed.

“Uh…” Spencer repeated, blush only increasing.

“Aw Derek, I think you broke him,” Garcia joked teasingly, making her way back into the kitchen, giggling to herself all the way. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone!” she called over her shoulder.

The swinging of the kitchen doors signalled her departure, and Spencer and Derek were left alone in the cafe together.

“So…” Spencer started, still flushing bright red. “That was… quite a greeting.”

“I’m sorry, were you not ok with that?” Derek asked regretfully, already preparing to properly apologize to the other man.

“No!” Spencer interjected loudly, shaking his head quickly. “No, it was… nice actually.”

“Oh,” Derek responded, smirk creeping back onto his face. “Only nice? I’m going to have to step up my game pretty boy. Maybe I should try again.”

“Maybe you should,” Spencer replied coyly, looking at Derek from underneath his lashes. The dark-skinned man was pleasantly surprised again by this new, confident side of Spencer that he presumed rarely came out. Spencer didn’t seem the type to have this hidden personality trait, but Derek wasn’t complaining. It was a huge turn-on.

With a full-blown grin, Derek leaned forward once more over the counter, cupping Spencer’s face in his hands. They stayed there for a few seconds, looking into each other’s eyes before Spencer, surprisingly, swayed forward to connect their lips. Derek was still, simply enjoying the softness of Spencer’s lips on him until he felt the other man press harder against him, moving his mouth gently against his. Derek surged forward, sliding his hands down to grip Spencer’s neck as his tongue darted out to lightly lick at Spencer’s lips. Spencer moaned breathily, bringing his hand up to lightly hold Derek’s cheek as he opened his mouth to let Derek’s tongue in. Derek groaned, pressing harder against the counter as he attempted to get closer to Spencer and inched a hand up into his soft hair.

A loud bang sounded out through the kitchen, startling them apart. Hotch stood in the office doorway, his astonishment clear on his face, which was a surprising display of emotion for the man. Derek quickly separated from Spencer, suddenly very aware that they were making out in broad daylight in the middle of Derek’s workplace. Spencer was flushing again, a bright crimson that matched his cardigan. He was actively avoiding Hotch’s curious eyes, probably wanting to avoid embarrassing himself further.

“So Morgan,” Hotch started, a slow grin curling across his face as he leant against the doorframe, “who’s your friend?”

“Uh…” Morgan replied, mind not fully recovered from Spencer’s kiss. “You remember Spencer? From a few days ago?”

“Hi,” Spencer said awkwardly, waving slightly.

“The genius, right?” Hotch questioned, pushing off the frame to walk slowly towards them. “The twenty three year old? The one in university?”

“Yep, that’s me,” Spencer replied, curling his shoulders in bashfully. Derek snuck his arm around Spencer’s waist as best he could with the counter in the way, wanting to reassure the younger man.

“Is there a problem with that?” he questioned with an undertone of steel, eyes assessing Hotch’s reaction. Normally he would never speak to the man who paid him like this, but when it came to Spencer, Derek’s reasoning went a bit out the window.

“No, none at all,” Hotch answered, eyes dancing with hidden mirth at his employee’s reaction. Honestly, he was happy that Derek seemed to have found someone to take care of him, and judging by the way the other man had been practically vibrating with enthusiasm this morning, someone who was better for Derek than the last person he was with. In all the years that Derek had been working for him, Hotch had never once take a day off unless he was on his deathbed or forced out of the shop by an overprotective Garcia. He took over other people’s shifts when they couldn’t make it, and worked himself ragged trying to please every customer that walks in. He just hoped that this new man would be able to take care of Derek when he couldn’t bring himself to. “Just don’t let this interfere too much with work Derek,” Hotch mused to the couple before turning around and walking back into his office.

The paperwork wouldn’t do itself, after all.  
Derek and Spencer stood there silently for a moment, separated by the counter but each still trying to lean into the other. Derek’s arm tightened around Spencer’s waist, wanting to put the man’s racing mind at ease. Spencer turned slightly and tilted his head marginally onto Derek’s shoulder. Their hands crept slowly across the counter, fingertips tangling together lightly, neither needing the contact, but desiring it nonetheless.

 

A sudden flash of light from the kitchen door startled them apart, accompanied by muffled cursing as the phone that had been peeking over the swinging doors disappeared.

“Garcia,” Derek groaned, detaching himself from Spencer to walk over and push the kitchen door open. It revealed a not-quite-embarrassed Penelope Garcia clutching her bright pink glittery phone looking as bashful as someone who was grinning broadly at him could. “Did you just try and take a photo of us?”

“...Maybe,” she admitted slowly, still beaming at him.

“And, more importantly, did You, Penelope Garcia, queen of all things technological, forget to turn off the fucking flash?”

“Look, ok, that wasn’t really my fault!” she burst out, waving her arms around as she tried to explain herself. “Last night I was trying to take photos of my cat to send to Kevin but it was really dark and I couldn’t be bothered getting up to turn on the lights so I turned the flash on and I guess it just stayed on until now! And then you guys were being all cute and stuff and I just had to take a picture and-”

“Whoa, whoa Garcia,” Derek chuckled, holding his hands up placatingly. “It’s ok, your technological supremacy is still recognised.”

“Good,” she sighed in relief, still not the slightest bit embarrassed about being caught taking photos of them. “I’d hate for you to forget that.”

“Yeah, well, next time, how about you just don’t take the photos baby girl?” he asked humorously, starting to walk back towards the counter.

“Oh Derek,” Garcia replied teasingly, “I thought you knew me better than that.”

Derek just shook his head, chuckling to himself, before turning around again to face Spencer.

“I’m sorry about her,” Derek said to him. “Normally she behaves well enough, but she does want she wants when she wants.”

“It’s… it’s ok,” Spencer replied, flushed an even brighter red than before. He fidgeted nervously with the sleeves of his cardigan, pulling them down to cover his hands. “Just don’t show anyone the pictures, ok?” he asked Garcia.

“Oh of course not sweet thing,” she replied earnestly, rushing over to reassure him. “These are just to tease Derek over later.” She winked at him before turning back to the kitchen.

Spencer spluttered, not sure how to respond to that information. The very idea that the dark-skinned man was affected by Spencer seemed absurd in his mind, but when he glanced over at Derek, the other man’s dark cheeks seemed red, and he was rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. Spencer smiled softly to himself, surprised that Derek seemed out of his comfort zone, and doubly surprised that he was the cause of that.

“What are you thinking?” Derek asked him gently, startling him out of his reverie. Spencer smiled again, admiring the light sparkle Derek got in his eyes when he smiled.

“Just about you,” Spencer replied boldly, a coy smile curling at the corner of his lips. Derek grinned back, glad to see his man smiling again.

“So,” Derek started, leaning against the counter, “what did you come in for anyway? Was it for the view?” He winked at Spencer with a lazy smirk crawling across his face.

“No I actually need to buy coffee,” the taller man replied. He paused slightly before a wicked glint entered his eye. “The view is just a bonus,” he continued.

“Why Mr Reid,” Derek gasped overdramatically, clutching at his heart, “are you hitting on me?”

“Um,” Spencer stuttered, confidence suddenly vanished. “I guess? I mean, statistically speaking, there is a 34% chance in most conversations that one or more participants will be flirted with, either jokingly or seriously. Additionally, given your physique and appearance, your chances of getting flirted with are significantly higher than someone like me so statistically-”

“Whoa there pretty boy,” Derek laughed, eyes crinkling in mirth at the younger man’s ranting. “I was just kidding.” Spencer sighed, tension seemingly leaving his body. “Besides,” Derek continued, voice lowering flirtatiously, “you could hit on me anytime sweet thing. I’d be fine with that.”

Spencer seemed to be stuck with a permanent shade of red on his cheeks whenever he was around Derek.

“Anyway,” Derek said with a twinkle in his eye, “what can I get you today pretty boy?”

“A large salted caramel macchiato with 3 sugars and a large vanilla cappuccino with 2 sugars,” he answered after a moment’s pause, trying to compose himself.

“You got it baby,” Derek replied, moving over to the large coffee maker. “So,” Derek began while starting Spencer’s order, “why do you need this overabundance of caffeine today?”

“I, uh, I didn’t sleep much last night,” Spencer admitted, “and I have this really important class today but I’m exhausted, so I need the extra boost.”

“Why couldn’t you sleep last night baby?” Derek teased, pouring the frothed milk into Spencer’s cappuccino. “Thinking of me?”

A silence met his question, and Derek glanced up with amazed eyes to see Spencer avoiding his gaze in embarrassment, that delicious blush back on his cheeks.

“Pretty boy,” Derek started, deepening his voice seductively, “ _were _you thinking about me last night?”__

__“Uh… no?” Spencer lied terribly, avoiding eye contact with the dark-skinned man at all costs._ _

__“Spencer,” Derek purred, placing his drinks down on the counter and leaning closer to the younger man. “You know, it’s ok to think about me that way.”_ _

__“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Spencer mumbled, blush deepening further._ _

__“You know,” Derek murmured, mouth curling in a smirk. “You didn’t think of me stripping you out of those clothes, touching you all over? Didn’t imagine me kissing down your pretty chest, licking and tasting your whole body before I got down to your cock?”_ _

__Spencer whimpered, pupils blown wide in arousal. He opened his mouth to say something, but Derek cut him off._ _

__“I reckon you’d like to be held down while I blow you,” he mused, tilting his head to the side, eyes fixed on Spencer’s. “Would you like that pretty boy? You want me to hold down your hips and suck you off until you beg me to cum?”_ _

__“Uhhhhhh,” Garcia’s voice interrupted them. Spencer lurched away from where he’d been leaning towards Derek, entranced by his words. His cheeks were almost as red as his cardigan, and he had a white-knuckled grip the bottom of his shirt in an effort not to simply reach out and grab Derek. “I love you chocolate thunder, but I really didn’t need to know that much about your sex life.”_ _

__“Well maybe you shouldn’t listen at doors baby girl,” Derek snarked back, trying to grab Spencer’s attention again. Knowing the man’s shy nature, the chances of them repeating that conversation were slim to none._ _

__“How much do I owe you?” Spencer asked, shyly peeking at Derek through his lashes. Derek froze momentarily, taken aback by Spencer’s beauty in this moment._ _

__“Uh, that will be $7.25,” he replied, slightly breathless. Spencer fished for the money in his wallet and handed it over quickly, fingers brushing against one another before Spencer pulled away._ _

__“So, I’ll, um, I’ll see you soon yeah?” Spencer asked nervously, fiddling with the change he received._ _

__“Yeah baby, of course,” Derek replied, smiling smoothly at the younger man. “I’ll text you.”_ _

__“Sounds good.” Spencer grinned a little at him before turning around and leaving the cafe, but not before glancing back one last time at Derek._ _

__He and Garcia stood there in silence for a few moments, neither really knowing how to respond to their present situation._ _

__“So,” Garcia started leaning against the wall, “you want to suck him off huh?”_ _

__“Jesus Garcia!” Derek exclaimed, throwing the tea towel over his shoulder at her, chasing her back into the kitchen amidst her gleeful laughter._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post! I have the next chapter planned out and the rest of this story planned out but it's coming up to exams at my school now and there's just a bunch of crap happening in my life right now so I'm not sure when this story will be updated.


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